The charges allege that on June 15, 2018, Rath intimately touched an adult woman against her will at a private residence in Moorpark, Calif.

Rath was arrested and released on $5,000 bail Jan. 15, five days before the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game, according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Eric Hatlee.

Rath didn’t travel with the team to New Orleans or to the Super Bowl. The Rams said the coach was recovering from an injury at the time.

Along with his responsibilities in strength training, Rath gained minor fame last season as the so-called “get-back coach” assigned to make sure Rams head coach Sean McVay doesn’t step too far onto the field while coaching on the sideline.

In a team statement issued Friday, the Rams said they “are aware of the charges filed against Ted Rath. We take these allegations very seriously. Once the charges were filed, we decided Ted would take a leave of absence from the team as this matter works its way through the justice system.”

Rath’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky, pleaded not guilty on his behalf Friday morning. She says they will go to trial if necessary to prove Rath is not guilty.

“Mr. Rath takes these allegations very seriously,” Podberesky said in a statement issued to The Associated Press. “Ted is a man who has led a law-abiding life. He is a husband, a father and a dedicated family man. He has the utmost respect for women and would never intentionally act in a manner that was demeaning or otherwise inappropriate. We intend to defend this matter to the fullest extent possible in a court of law, and we believe that after there has been a full vetting of the facts of this case Mr. Rath will be shown to be not guilty of these charges.”

Hatlee didn’t immediately have any details of the misdemeanor charges against Rath.

Rath joined the Rams in 2017 after serving as an assistant strength coach with the Dolphins and Lions. He is married with three children, according to the Rams.

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A pre-trial conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 19 in Ventura County Superior Court. If convicted on all charges, Rath faces a maximum sentence of one year and six months in county jail. He would also have to register as a sex offender.